Improvement in harrows



W. BERLIN.

Harrow.

Patented Apr. 12, 1853.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE,

\VILLIAM BERLIN, OF BERRYVILLIQ, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARROWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9,657, dated April 12, 1853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BERLIN, of Berryville, in the county of Clarke and State of Virginia, have invented and made certain new and useful Im provements on Harrows and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the method of construction and mode of operating the same,

reference being had to the drawings accompanying and making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a geometrical perspective view of the harrow complete, showing the upper and lower frames with cross-bars A A A A AA and the bulls or longitudinal bars B B B B, together with the studs or adj Listing-bolts O (J O O O G O O O U and the stay-ties or bracebars D D D D, the tines or teeth 1 2 3 at 56789 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 181920, and the tine-nuts or screw-taps 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 and the shackle or hitching-catch E.

Fig. 2 shows a section or fragment of the harrow, exhibiting the form of the tooth or tine A and the shoulder S S, screw I), and tap or nut O; B, the stud or adjusting screwbolt, with the adjusting-tapsR b.

To enable others to be skilled in the use and application of my invention and improvements, I will proceed to describe the construction and operation thereof, the nature and principles of which consist in constructinga dragharrow of longitudinal bars or heavy straps of iron from three to five feet long, from one to one and oneeighth inch wide by one-half inch thick. Taking the required number of these bars, I punch a succession of circular holes at proper distances, after which I take the bars and arrange them at given intervals from each other, the spaces between each bar being about two inches greater toward the backward ends, is represented in Fig. 1 at W \V V. I then take two other bars or straps and lay one each transversely across the gangs or rows of the longitudinal bars or bulls B B B B, and attach the cross bars or ties A A A A by screws and taps s s s s s s s, Fig. 1, (rivets or by welding.)

This frame, when complete, does not exhibit a perfect rectangular shape or parallelogram, but is wider at the backward part than atthe front part. Having thus formed one frame, I then prepare another similar frame, but in so doing I use metal stouter than that usedfor the first or top frame. Through the bulls or longitudinal bars of this second frame, at proper intervals or distances apart,are punched or perforated holes of a rectangular formabout one to one and one-eighth inch square, as shown at m 00 mar w m 00 00, Fig. 1. The two frames being complete, the two are united together by stud-rods or adjusting screw-bolts and taps O G O O G O (J O C C, Fig. 1, and staying the frames firmly by two brace-bars or stay-ties, D D D D,Fig. 1. The two frames being united together, I then hare prepared the requisite number of teeth or tines, formed of heavy rod-metal, one to one and one-eighth inch square and from twelve to eighteen inches long, and being sufficiently smaller than the rectangular holes in the longitudinal bars to admit of the graduating-frame z z z 2, Fig. 1, being elevated or depressed without being too loose.

On the upward end of the teeth or tines is formed a shoulder and a sciewthi'ead. The teeth or tines, being duly pointed, are next inserted or arranged in their respective places by being passed through the square holes 00 :20 :v x w a", Fig. 1, and are made permanent or confined firmly into their place by the screws and nuts or taps 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0, Fig. l.

The lower frame being attached to the upper frame by the studs or adjusting-bolts O O O O G G G U, and the teeth or tines conforming or working smoothly to the square holes, this lower frame, Z Z Z Z, can be elevated or depressed, so as to-lengthen or shorten the drag or dip of the tines or teeth. For instance, in light or friable soil, by having the lower frame movable or adjustable, the tines or teeth can be made to enter deeper into the soil or, if the soil be heavy and stiff and does not require deep harrowing, the tines or teeth may be shortened in their drug or dip by a ljust-ing the nuts or taps and depressing the lower or graduating frame.

It is a well-known fact that in the common wooden cross-tie spike-harrow the prongs or spikes are fitted or driven into the wooden frame-work, and, having nothing to keep the spikes in their places except the pressure of the wood, the consequence is that in one or two seasons, owing to the effects of the weather and other natural causes, a shrinkage of the wood takes place, the spikes or prongs become loose, get bent and more or less twisted, so as to cause a clogging up of the harrow, and ultimately becoming unfit for use by the spikes dropping out and the wood decaying, and thus in the course of a season or two the common spike-barrow is thrown aside as useless, the teeth being too much twisted, bent, and blunted to be fit for further use; but in my improved adjustable graduating barrow all these objections are avoided, for owing to the length and the arrangement of the teeth or tines they cannot work loose, become bent or twisted, nor fall out of their sockets. Besides, too, when they become blunted or dull they can be readily detached, sharpened, and replaced, and are then equally as good as when new.

Having thus fully described the advantages shown in Fig. l at G C C O G O, and by which means or contrivance the lower frame, Z Z Z Z, Fig. 1, can be elevated or depressed and the teeth or tines lengthened or shortened in their drag or dip.

\VILLIAM BERLIN.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL GRUBB, JOHN S. GALLAHER, Jr. 

